Loz Tonkyn:

I'm studying the anti-psychiatry movement n learned a bit bout humanist psychology - i realised that whirly is run by people who are trained at making the experience of the night as special as possible - making u feel good through light n sound, a real healing process... that's why its so perfectly good- these guys are professionals!
I also just got the significance of being taken on a journey out of this world (by monkey pilot) seeing the earth from space on that projection, and while away from earth we are shown the amazing beauty of all the cultures in different countries.. then we are let back down to earth gently with the parachute!! The whole thing is symbolic of a trip out of this world and back again!! or have I read to much into it??!!

Not Only My First ...... Lucy
As the music played I felt that I was being enveloped, and my attention had to be directed to it. I became quite tearful, yet totally happy. The hairs on my body bristled. A new dawn, the first steps into a new life, a new me. The music is so beautiful, about all the joy and beauty that I can bear. The lights were stunning and refracting from all angles. I was afraid to turn and face the people, for fear they will overwhelm me. However I looked, and found that then, I was complete.

The whole world must get to experience a profound state like Whirl-Y-Gig. I felt totally serene. I have lived all my life to get to this point, and I feel I have arrived home.
 

Tanya De Leon  .......   I'm whirlyfied!!!

To all whirly virgins or Whirlyfied people!
Do you love meeting new people making new friends and love raving and being unique?
Whirly is the place 2 be!
It was my 1st experience on the 1st Whirly of this year 28th January 2012.
I went in with my boyfriend and his mates as they went whirly many times and told me how I’d love it. I went in and it was like I was in a dream overwhelming at first as it’s different to other raves.
Whirly is a very good experience as a beginner raver or advanced. People are amazing in there all smiles and everyone accepts you for who you are no matter what age or how different you are. People accept you! You can easily make friends in whirly!
Not only was Whirly a beautiful atmosphere and people...the music is uplifting!  I was dancing all night.
They also do FREE FACE PAINTING so you can have whatever you feel like on your face! But what won me over whirly that no other rave can beat was the parachute. Everyone sits down and you’re under a parachute jamming with everyone. Even people at whirly look after you! So no matter who you are... WHIRLY IS EVERYONES RAVE …. Peace and love ..  hope to see you in Whirly!
  

More than an Experience ...... Ailish

The music is thudding. Deep, lustrous beats entwined with melodic tinkles, like the noise fairies would make while tiptoeing on water droplets in the garden. And these fairies come to life this night. The reality is formed through tutus spinning, the material brushing against sparkling skin. The bare-midriffs; curves swaying in a bubble of electricity, created and reinforced by the music, the atmosphere lifting you away from the world. Everything is glistening. Everything is shining.

The lights are vibrant. Multi-coloured spots, shapes, sizes, are circling the walls, encasing the dancers in a magic glow. The wall of fire reflected in the eyes of every child, the wonderment of something so powerful, so beautiful. The purple: glowing softly, welcoming. Nothing here is threatening. Everyone is together, everyone is having fun, everyone is alive with light. It's like a secret club, something special, and in the slight catch of a stranger's eye, a smile, this is acknowledged and shared generously between those there.

And the man sitting at the head of the room, his hat obscuring his face, he is not a DJ, but a celebrated God, conjuring his spells, his mystic dust he sprinkles over us through the music. The favourites. The ones we go crazy for and jump and scream and hold our hands up to the sky for; we can't get high enough. We can't dance hard enough, fast enough, dissolving into one, into the music, the lights, the heat of bodies around us. We worship him, and he, using his magic intuition, doesn't need to look at us to know we are celebrating. We are his minions and we will dance until we drop. A paradise created, with each person stretching and clamouring to make it last. An eternal party we crave.

And the light sticks, glowing with a life of their own. Vibrating and pulsating with the same desire as the dancers. They are like beacons. A constant feature and a recognizable symbol of fun and friendships; of the night of laughter. If there is a heaven, I dance in it every month.



 

  

Holy Moley...Whirly? ...... Paul, Birmingham

Twas New Year's Eve...and nothing was stirring, save for a Monkey Pilot...and the rest of London.

Okay, well, i went with Will, June (Will's fiancee), Jane (June's twin sister), Hank (Jane's husband), and Niel (Hank's brother)- all those dudes live in a house together and we've only made friends since about November, when they were the only people to turn up to my housewarming party...Will liked my music, Hank liked my sofa, Niel likes everything =)

We'd got friends and they'd spent £175 to get down to London just cos I thought whirly was a good idea....

It was, a friend called Karen came too and we liked the place immediately. We bought different colour glow sticks for each of us, explored, just felt immediately at home with so much to look at ...and kids!

Momo came on and we liked that, did a bit of dancing (at the front - where else), then we discovered the chill room and some of us hung there, then MP played Banco's 'How much reality can you take' mixed with some kind of ethnic rap and I took one listen and just went bonkers and danced all crazy.

By the time that track finished, Will had met about 97% of the people there...seriously, I came across him in the middle room and he said 'All the people here are amazing, look at the families...I want to get to know EVERYONE here' or something like that, that made me really, really happy.

Until about 7am on a cold Euston station floor...

Between then and then though - whoa, group hugs at midnight, Joi after that - dancing full on through their set until New Zealand Kiwi man burnt my head, going to chill room and meeting lovesquaddies and Crunchymoles, Whirlyglenns and Rasta stewards smiling at me...getting hugged by the best hugging lady in the world, seeing System 7 and the parachute (which i'm under this Saturday, booked a space), telling everyone deep thoughts and how much I loved the music....

aaaaand then getting escorted backstage at 6.01am by Big Pete to meet Richard and Mary, and having long conversation with them about Will's video collaboration with Banco. Chatting to Richard was v. cool, that made me very happy too. Then met Rich Morley, bought a couple of his CD's and lost my change....which re-appeared magically in a fag packet. I did lose my Momo Cd, bit upset about that still..ho hum.

Best thing that happened was that I made a true friend in June that night, Will and Niel kinda already were, but we really connected well chatting the chill room and have been really close ever since, which is something we both needed. Her and Jane are really good influences on our whole group, very special people if you get chance to see past the whole wifey-twin stereotype. Which i'm sure almost everyone at Whirly would.

It brought our group and friendships closer together. We're planning a fun year in 2002 with lots of adventures, Planet Angels, Whirly Club nights, Glastonbury and WOMAD are all under heavy discussion and lift our days with things to look forward to.

Last year was a tough one, I gave up part of my life in the U.S. and realised I wasn't particularly happy with what was left here either. Rebuilding it's getting really fun lately and I credit New Year's Eve Whirly for a lot of inspiration - thanks for everyone who took part in that evening!

Whirl-y-Brum



Maria (aka "the Whirl-y-Fairy")

"From what I was told, I simply HAD to go to Whirly after missing a previous few due to other engagements, i couldn’t put it off any longer.

People I went with had been before, and told me to an extent what it was like. But nothing prepared me for it.... The bizarre sight of seeing children outside and going into whirly. At 11pm in Kings Cross. Balloons and smiles in motion. It was amazing, and I was sober! Paid my money to get in. (I somehow already felt I had got my moneys worth) Walked through the doors and was blown away. Attack of the senses in a most extraordinary way. Sight of multicolours - drapes/glowsticks/happy shiny Whirly-goers. The sound of wonderful energetic music. Closing my eyes feeling the bass go through me, reverberating and bringing me to life.

New exquisite anima around me. I hadn’t even taken my coat off...

Off to the toilets, time to snap the glowsticks and check make-up, well, normally. This time all that was done in what seemed to be a semi-chill out room. But no, it was a toilet, and I realised that the shiny happy Whirly love and friendliness was all around. I met an army of wonderful people just there.

To the chill-out room, a room so comforting. Soft lights, refreshments and all the people you could ever want to be in the presence of. Strangers, but not for very long! The atmosphere at whirly is so unpretentious its astounding. Acceptance and welcoming from all directions. If you’re the sort of person that gets inhibitions about a new place, you really don’t need to here!!

After the glaze of joy had (sort of) lifted to a point where I could move again, it was off to the main room again. Made my way up to the stage to dance. And I did, shortly before looking up and having to stop...." I was on another planet. I could see earth from where I was standing. A breathtaking projection.

I danced all night. I was not on the pull. My prospective love interest was in the arms of another, and I cared for about 2 seconds before I realised I didn’t need anything more than my wonderful friends and a wonderful whirly!! At the front of the stage I danced, until I built up a “fanbase” of people mimicking my dance moves. Sweat was literally dripping off of my body, and a wonderful member of the whirly staff fanned me with a giant...leaf thing! There is nothing but love and care here!! Suddenly people were sitting on the main floor. I knew it was time for the infamous parachute and joined them. A vast canopy moved over my head, and before I knew it I was skin to skin with my friends and more friends. No one at whirly is a stranger. Ambient music and love, everywhere a rippling canvass above me, waves of light projection swimming. I didn’t ever want it to end. But it had to, leaving me totally satisfied but yearning for the next in equal measures.

This was my first whirly.

If you haven’t had yours yet...you know what you have to do!